Thursday, February 14, 2013

We Found Love In A Hopeless Place

Saudi-Arabia, a hopeless place to ever even dream of finding a life partner, soul mate, or the love of your life..The country that strictly forbids mixing and all interaction between the sexes. How could anyone meet a member of the opposite sex here, let alone go out on a date, fall in love?

Surprisingly there are countless love stories that started in Magic Kingdom..So many of my friends found love here. It's actually quite ironic that of all places in the world, these couples met in the Saudi Kingdom. I compiled a list of short love stories form Saudi-Arabia.
Read our love story here.

Couples that found love in the hopeless desert Kingdom:

A Finnish man met a stunning Yemeni girl randomly one evening at a cafe..It was love at first sight. They are now happily married residing in Jeddah.An Australian nurse met a U.S Marine at an embassy function. She thought he was cute, but not her type. He fell head over heals for her. They were friends first but soon fell deeply in love..They had a dream wedding a few years after when they moved to the U.S.A Finnish nurse met her Palestinian husband at a desert camp. They were inseparable from that day onward. They are now happily married residing in Riyadh.A Finnish nurse met an all American guy at a compound party. They worked at the same hospital and started dating. Soon they left the Kingdom together to make a new home and life in U.S.A. The are now happily married and have a sweet little baby girl.Another Finnish nurse met an American soldier at an embassy party. They started dating and soon decided to leave the Kingdom to the U.S. This adorable couple had their fairy-tale wedding in the Caribbean.

A Finnish party girl and a Lebanese guy had a crush on each other. They often saw one another at parties where he DJ'd. The beautiful couple fell deeply in love and share the same passion of travelling the world. They got married in Finland, travelled around the world and are now returning to the desert Kingdom.An Irish nurse met a Lebanese engineer at a golf club. They shared the same hobby and soon realised they had a lot more in common too. The couple had an elaborate wedding in Beirut where they now reside.A Finnish nurse met an American guy at the Hash Harriers outings. They shared the same interest in sport, photography and nature. Soon they fell in love and set out to Finland for their wedding. The stunning couple reside in Riyadh where they both work.

A Lebanese nurse had given up on ever finding a soul mate, she had worked in KSA for many years before she was invited to the Hash group gatherings. She met a lovely American guy there and got hooked on both the desert and the man. They had an amazing wedding in Lebanon and returned to continue work in Saudi-Arabia.A Swedish nurse met a fellow Swede at a compound gathering. They became good friends and soon realised they had grown to love each other. The couple moved to Sweden where they got engaged soon after.A Lebanese male nurse had a crush on a colleague, a Finnish nurse for a long time until he had the courage to ask her out on a date. They fell instantly in love and moved in together. They soon got married and then had a cute little boy.Two Canadian nurses arrived to work in Saudi Kingdom at the same time. They met at the hospital orientation program. The couple started dating, but found life as an unmarried couple very difficult in Saudi and decided to return back to their home country together.A Malaysian nurse met an American army official at a compound party. They started dating and later went to her home country for marriage. They now have two kids and continue working in the Kingdom.

There are many other stories out there..These are just the tip of the iceberg. So what is the secret behind all these love stories from perhaps the most un-romantic, strict country in the world? I guess it might have something to do with the fact that many of the expats coming here are like-minded and share the same interests. They already were open-minded enough to make the move to Saudi, so many of them are open to inter-cultural relationships. Expatriates can actually have a lively night life in Saudi-Arabia and many of these couples met a party or other expat gathering.

I've also noticed a phenomenon that is quite common; a lot of the women coming here are in bad relationships back home and moving to Saudi for a temporary work placement often leads to them seeing things in new perspectives. They realize they were just dragging along in an already doomed relationship. Moving to Saudi is a sort of an unconscious way to break off from that relationship.

Currently my husband and I are the only ones I'm aware of a mixed marriage between a Saudi and an expat that met in the Kingdom. Many were dating but none went further than that..

I will leave you with a Valentine's day card my daughter made for us at daycare..I'm so proud of my little artist! Ok maybe the teachers helped her a bit :)

too bad the progressive saudis are pushed out of lots of the gatherings, many gatherings happen where saudis are not allowed to enter, or they are just not invited, leaving them feeling discriminated against in their own country.

Loved all your examples! One of my best friends here is a British teacher. She met a Jordanian chef this past New Years Eve at the British Consul's bash and they are already engaged and making wedding plans!

Awwwww cute stories <3 i hope everyone has love & happiness in their marriages!! well as u know, i met both my Saudi husbands while they were studying in Canada... first case was love at first sight, the 2nd was for love at first sight for *him only* becuz i thought he was another Saudi playboy who rented fancy sports cars just to pick up girls -- i was wrong in the end *_*

Do you have any stories about Muslim couples. Its easy to meet people if you are not muslim and not practicing. What about practicing sisters and brothers new to the country or residents who find love. Is it easy too? I can not relate to your post becuase its about non muslims....